Nematullah Mashouf, Sunni Cleric and resident of Azadshahr, Golestan Province, was arrested by the city’s intelligence service.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, Nematullah Mashouf, a Sunni cleric and resident of Azadshahr, Golestan Province, was arrested by the city’s intelligence service on the evening of Sunday, December 26th, 2021.
According to the report, the Sunni cleric was arrested for refusing to accept his appointment to lead the Friday prayers in the city.
According to the report, Mr. Mashouf refused to assume this responsibility after the removal of Mohammad Hossein Gargij, the Friday’s prayer Imam of Azadshahr.
On Friday, December 17th, 2021, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei in Golestan Province, dismissed Mohammad Hossein Gargij, the Sunni Friday Imam of Azadshahr, in an unusual move, following a speech on religious issues. This unprecedented move by the involvement of Ali Khamenei’s representatives in the removal and installation of Iran’s Sunni Friday Imams, provoked protests from Sunni citizens in Azadshahr.